Undergraduate /
Nursing: Admissions essay for prompt: why did you choose healthcare? [8]
Hello everyone,
I am trying hard to refine my essay to include with my application for nursing school. I have created a rough draft and would love some feedback to help me strengthen areas which are lacking. The prompt was to write an essay in 750 words or less why I choose to have a career in this healthcare field (nursing). Below is the essay:
"How very little can be done under the spirit of fear" ~ Florence Nightengale.
When I first entered the workforce, I didn't follow my dreams; I did what was most familiar. For many years, I have wanted to be a nurse, but I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to do it. Florence Nightengale is right. Fear stops people from achieving their potential.
Choosing a profession in nursing was not as easy for me as it may have been for others. I am not the daughter of a nurse. My grandfather was not a physician; my father was not a surgeon. My mother was a corporate executive; my father Chief of police; and my grandfather an electrician. My own career goals were not clear to me in high school and so I simply followed familiar steps. To follow my own interests simply brought too much fear with it.
I worked for a surgical microscope company for 12 years. I enjoyed my position because of its demanding pace and its connection with medicine. I often spent free time watching our sales and service people prepare equipment for surgery and train surgeons and nurses. I admired the doctors and nurses who came to us to learn about the latest equipment so that they could provide the best possible care to their patients. My work for the company required me to interact with some of the best surgeons and nurses at the most prestigious hospitals in the country. Although I admired them, I did not apply to nursing school because I was afraid that I would not be successful.
For two and a half rewarding years, I became a full-time mother. I stayed home with my children and volunteered at local schools, in our community and at our church, serving on the PTO, running a youth wrestling club, and helping to start a backpack program in local elementary schools. By 2010, my youngest children were ready to go to kindergarten, and it was time for me to reenter the workforce. I decided it was also time for me to be bold in the pursuit of my dream. Having excelled at serving medical professionals in business and having kept a household with four children running smoothly, I was finally ready to apply to nursing school.
The projects and initiatives that I am a part of have been satisfying because I contribute meaningfully to the community. I imagine that nurses experience that feeling a lot. What could be more meaningful than to restore the health of another person? These projects also showed me that the risk is worth the reward and that I have the capability and determination to excel no matter what I decide to do.
A career in nursing means more to me than a good salary, the ability to help people and potential for growth. The field of nursing provides endless potential for exciting and rewarding possibilities. As a nurse, I will contribute to helping people live longer, richer lives. I will empty bedpans, but I will also witness miracles. I will bring added value to my community, be more aware of my own health, and join a profession which will let me to do what I love anywhere I choose to live; an important advantage in today's mobile society. I will have the opportunity to not just witness but play a role in the progress that our scientific and medical community continually makes.
When I explored my passions and imagined where I would be most effective it wasn't hard to decide what path to follow. Being a nurse will allow me to use my life experiences to do something I have always wanted to do and accomplish my goal of keeping honest care the part of any cure.